Santalune City was full of kids rushing against the gym leader, Viola. Plenty of cocksure kids headed immediately from the registration office, gleaming new pokedex in hand, to the gym. Some of them managed to win, but most got a harsh lesson on not jumping in too quickly. Pokemon do not immediately translate to power, to swiftness, to skill.
I wanted to avoid the gym, to avoid the whole city, until everyone just quieted down. I felt, at times, like I should be shaking my cane at all the whippersnappers, but for gods's sake, I was only 15. I was self-aware enough to know how ridiculous that would be. It was the noise, the crowd, the sun beating down on me; the world was just Too Much and I wanted it to stop.
I was too excited, though, to hide in my room, much as I wanted to. I finally had a pokemon, and I could start challenging gyms and being awesome and whatever else it was trainers did. So every morning I would take breakfast at the pokemon center, hide behind my earplugs and sunglasses to dull the sheer presence of the crowd, and let Violet guide me out of the city toward the grassy, open areas of Route 22.
As soon as we reached the grass, I let Raine out. She giggled every time she left her pokeball. That's my favorite feeling, she said, before she saw a Fletchling and turned to me for approval. I nodded and she started play-chasing it.
She's so unlike you, Violet said, before walking after her. I wanted to think of a response, but couldn't think of what to say, so I just followed them.
Violet called Raine over from her game after a few minutes. We had to be careful around here, and not travel too deep into the route. Pokemon very quickly rose in power levels here — the perils of being next to Victory Road. There were lots of other trainers swarming the route, but with a bit of effort, I could easily find a clearing quiet enough to relax in and train Raine. It probably would have been easier to find solitude and quiet in the forest, and it was full of flammable insects to train against. The buses didn't run as close to the forest, though, so it meant a longer walk. In addition, the uneven terrain and the soft shifting ground made walking with my cane difficult. It was too much pain for not enough reward.
Violet sat at my feet as I pet Raine softly on the head. I tried to think about how to start training for the day. This was our fourth day training, our fifth day together. Our first day I hid from the world after the exertion of being in public, and we got to know each other in our room at the pokemon center. The day after, I found out that the training regimen for prospective starters involved a lot of accuracy and power training. Raine already knew how to send out embers accurately and hit fast-moving targets.
From what Raine said, though, she and the other potential starters hadn't been allowed to battle each other. All her experience was slightly abstract, removed from reality; a small rock flying through the air in a predictable arc is not the same as a Fletchling frantically dodging little bursts of fire in the air. She also had practically no experience fighting with a partner, and we tried to correct that.
Okay, we should battle, I said. Raine, you and I against Violet.
After Violet became my emotional support pokemon and I became her dedicated companion human, we were given a rulebook. It listed all the things Violet and I were and weren't allowed to do together. We read it cover to cover, multiple times. The rulebook made it clear that Violet was not allowed to battle in any official, legal manner. Nothing, however, said she was forbidden from helping train the rest of the team. It's not like I can make an official battle out of challenging myself, after all.
Two against one is no fair, she said as she got up lazily.
I smiled a little. You're smarter than both of us. You'll be fine.
Flattery gets you nowhere, she said, as she took a stance in front of us. Raine faced her and the fire on her back grew more intense. I hoped I wouldn't screw this up.
Okay, same rules as always, I said. No really strong attacks, and we stop once it seems someone has the advantage. This is just to get in the hang of battling and working together.
They both nodded. Violet then disengaged the telepathic link with both of us, so there was no chance of her reading the tactics out of our minds. (I trust her not to abuse it and scan our thoughts, really, but we might as well be safe.) This battle wasn't just training for them. Without the link, this would be a serious test of my reaction times, of how quickly I could process events without Violet there to help, and how quickly I could turn a thought into useful speech. All things I was bad at.
They spent a few seconds sizing each other up. I noticed that slowly, Raine was trying to shorten the distance between them.
"Raine, tackle her!"
I immediately regretted it. Raine couldn't accelerate very fast and there was still too much distance between her and Violet. It gave her plenty of time to prepare. I hesitated for a second or two about whether to tell Raine to stop, indecisive. Violet dodged out of the way and sent a bit of psychic energy at Raine. It hit her in the side and sent her tumbling on the ground.
Violet charged as Raine was starting to pick herself up. Raine was too slow and there was no chance she could get out of the way in time. That meant Violet had to be the one to move.
"Turn to your right and send out some fire. Then get out of there!"
She spewed out a cloud of fire that made Violet swerve out of the way to dodge. With the few seconds she gained, she moved out of the way and put some distance between them.
"Keep sending out fire at her. Keep her moving."
Raine gathered up balls of fire in her mouth and sent them at Violet. Every volley landed right in her path, and she had to turn constantly to avoid them. As more and more of the ground was covered in fire, her routes of exit were slowly closed off and her dodges became sharper, more desperate.
Violet took an extra large jump and landed on the other side of the smoldering ground from us. She faced Raine, dug her forepaws into the ground, and concentrated. Raine took the opportunity to charge up an extra large ball of fire to send at her. I was confused and tried to figure out what was Violet's strategy. Why would she make herself such an easy target?
I saw the gleam of Violet's jewel too late. I wanted to say, "Raine, get out of the way!" but the words died in my mouth as both pokemon attacked at the same time. Raine's volley of fire was contemptuously batted aside by a lance of psychic energy that struck her head on.
As Raine tumbled through the clearing, I looked at Violet. "I give," I said. I went after Raine as quickly as I could, cane and leg pain allowing.
I heard Violet's voice almost immediately in my head. Good, because I don't think I can manage another of those. She came towards us, avoiding the huge patch of smoldering grass. The smell was starting to get overpowering. We might need to find a water type to help us extinguish it.
I found Raine under a tree, sat down on the ground next to her, and cradled her in my arms. You did good, dear.
I-I'm sorry. I got excited because I thought I could win, she said, burying her face into my chest.
It's okay. You don't have to apologize for being happy. We'll just make sure not to get carried away next time. Right, Violet?
Right, she said as she nuzzled Raine.
We spent some time laying there, huddled together in the shadow. The fire burned itself out of existence. There was nothing else in the world but us, and we savored it.